A pipetting robot for labs that can’t spend sixteen thousand dollars.
is a single-channel, disposable-tip automated liquid handler. It runs from a browser on any phone or laptop, calibrates its own deck with a camera, checks each aspirate with a pressure sensor, and runs the Opentrons protocols you already have. Target price is about US$3,000 with one pipette.
It is a working prototype today, not a product. This page exists to find out whether enough labs want one before we build the first batch.
Reserve one
US$50 refundable deposit
US$50 now holds your place in the first batch of 50 and locks the launch price. The balance, about US$2,950, is only asked for once the final price and specifications are confirmed and you say yes. Refunded in full, any time, for any reason, by email.
Reserve with a $50 deposit0 of 50 first-batch places reserved.
Buying for a university or company lab? Email for a quote. The balance can be paid by purchase order and invoice.
Not ready to pay anything? Leave an email and we will write when the accuracy data is published.
What it does
| Pipette | One single-channel, 20–200 µL, universal-fit tips from any supplier |
|---|---|
| Deck | Six standard (SBS) slots: tip racks, 96-well plates, troughs, tube racks |
| Accuracy target | ±2% at 100 µL, ±5% at 10 µL, verified gravimetrically on every unit before it ships; the data goes in the box |
| Checks itself | Pressure sensor confirms each tip seal and aspirate; stall detection stops the motors on any collision |
| Calibration | Camera reads markers on the deck; no manual jogging |
| Software | Browser interface served by the robot, nothing to install; runs Opentrons Python protocols and PyLabRobot; dry-run simulation before every run |
| Modules | Magnetic bead holder and heated block as low-cost add-ons |
| Price | About US$3,000 with one pipette. Final price confirmed before your deposit becomes anything more |
Who it is for
Teaching labs that want one real automation station per course. Supervisors of iGEM teams with six weeks of plate work ahead, and sponsors who want to give a team something it will use. Community biolabs. Seed-stage companies that need serial dilutions and PCR setup done reliably before they can justify a $25,000 robot.
Questions
- Why is it cheaper?
- It is built from the same motion and electronics supply chain as desktop 3D printers, the way the first Opentrons was. The expensive parts of a liquid handler are support and calibration, so this one is designed to calibrate and diagnose itself.
- When?
- Accuracy data from the prototype will be published first. If 50 places are reserved, the first batch goes into production and deposits convert to orders with your confirmation. No date is promised until then. Read the accuracy data.
- What if it never ships?
- Every deposit is refunded. Deposits are held, not spent on development.
- Can I see it run?
- Yes. A video of the prototype running a serial dilution will be linked here as soon as it exists, and labs in Queensland can see it in person. Watch the prototype run a serial dilution.
- Who is building it?
- Scott Dunford, a biotechnology postgraduate in Australia who got tired of pipetting plates by hand.